The History of He-Man

He-Man is a character many know and love. Many can remember a time when they were sitting in their room on a Sunday afternoon and reading a comic book about this amazing superhero as he defended the realm of Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil hands of Skeltor. Let’s get to know more about how this blonde and muscular man with superhuman strength came to be.

History

He-Man was created by Mark Taylor, a toy designer from Mattel. And he said his inspiration on the original design of He-Man was inspired by Cro-Magnon men and Vikings. But originally, the idea of He-Man was pitched to Mattel executives into three-dimensional prototypes that are depicting He-Man as a soldier, spaceman, and a barbarian. And out of those three concepts, the majority of the people in the boardroom agreed that the barbarian version should be the basis for the toyline.

Mattel wanted to expand further on He-Man’s barbarian theme that’s why they decided to hire comic-book writers to create more characters, back stories, package in-lays, posters, and mini-comics for the toy’s distribution.

In the comics that were released with the first series of toys, He-Man is a barbarian from the Eternian tribe. And his planet and its inhabitants were dealing with the repercussion of the Great Wars which ended to the devastation of civilizations that once ruled the lesser beings. One of the war’s remnants was the advanced machinery and weaponry that was only known to select people and an early incarnation of the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull gave He-Man these weapons to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil hands of Skeltor.

But when the animated series was developed, He-Man’s history had been revised. His true character became Prince Adam of Eternia who is the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena which ruled the kingdom of Eternia. But he also got his powers from the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull in which he transforms from Prince Adam into He-Man by raising his Power Sword.

He-Man’s Super Powers and Skills

The strength of He-Man’s power is unknown but we know that he has the power of super speed, has indestructible skin, and superhuman strength. He can lift icebergs and mountains and throw it to his enemies. In the series and movies, He-Man can remain as He-Man and possess superpowers for as long as he wants but if he has been hurt badly or used too much raw force, he will turn back to being Prince Adam. He-Man also has telepathic powers as well, because, in several episodes of the original TV series, He-Man was able to communicate and sense the presence of the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull by telepathy. He can also communicate with his sister She-Ra even if they are across great distances. He also has an ability to blow a gust of wind that is powerful enough to knock down his enemies.

He-Man ‘s primary weapon is his sword but in the TV series and movies, he was also seen using other weapons such as laser guns, a battle ax, and a shield. His sword is indestructible and it can refract bolts of energy. He also uses it to transform Cringer into Battle Cat.

He-Man is absolutely an icon of the 80s and he served as a good role model to the children to do what’s right and fight for what’s right.